# Beam Engineering lite vs mechanical design engine

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: mechanical design engine at none against Beam Engineering lite's 1. mechanical design engine also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 5 months). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Beam Engineering lite sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. mechanical design engine asks for nothing beyond the download.

Beam Engineering lite ships an update every 5 months, mechanical design engine every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on August 15, 2026 and September 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Beam Engineering lite | mechanical design engine |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.4 (32 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beam-engineering-lite/id1048358824/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **32** | — |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 48 MB | 63 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.1 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [V PUGAZHENTHI](https://appshunter.io/developer/491898049) | [gan dae choi](https://appshunter.io/developer/1574341439) |

## What reviewers say

### Beam Engineering lite

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beam-engineering-lite/id1048358824)

This app provides 34 civil engineering calculators for beam analysis and conversion, referencing industry codes. It offers auto-fill options for material and section pickers and supports dual units. A pro version unlocks unlimited calculations, history, and PDF exports.

**Highlights:** 34 civil engineering calculators, AISC, ACI, ASCE code references, Auto-fill section and material pickers, Metric and Imperial units, Calculation history, PDF export, Dark mode support

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Beam Engineering Pro | $2.99 | one-time |


### mechanical design engine

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mechanical-design-engine/id1574341437)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Beam Engineering lite free?

Beam Engineering lite is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is mechanical design engine free?

mechanical design engine is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Beam Engineering lite or mechanical design engine have ads?

Beam Engineering lite shows ads; mechanical design engine does not.

### Which is updated more often, Beam Engineering lite or mechanical design engine?

Beam Engineering lite ships an update every 5 months, and mechanical design engine every 2 months. Most recently, Beam Engineering lite was updated on August 15, 2026 and mechanical design engine on September 8, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*